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Don’t you think it’s super cute to see a toddler with sunglasses? Kinda like watching your daughter put on Mommy’s shoes and play dress up. But, did you know that even the smallest of kids need to wear some type of UV protection for real and NOT for dress up? I didn’t either.

The reason why I’m writing about this is because I’ve been packing for a beach vacation and have been thinking about exposure to the sun. Then it hit me: my daughter plays outside in the sun every day, not just on beach holiday. We try to put a sun hat on her. Try. That doesn’t always go over very well (though, now, come to think of it maybe she just needs a pink one…that seems to work for everything else).

And the sunscreen – we usually don’t forget the sunscreen.

But the glasses? Nope. She has a pair I picked up just for fun, but come to find out, it’s not just for fun now is it? According to Lens Crafters resident eye-care specialist Dr. Grossman, 80% of a person’s lifetime UV exposure is received before a child turns 18. In fact, kid’s eyes are even more susceptible to harmful UV rays because their lenses are thinner than an adults. Didn’t know that!

Anyway, pick up some sunglasses for you AND your little one and make sure they offer UV protection – at least 99%. You can either go the prescription or non-prescription sunglasses route at your eye doctor (or wherever you buy your glasses) or have sunglasses tested at any Lens Crafters. It sounds silly but if it’s quick and easy, why not?

photo credit: Dan Queiroz

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you open your closet and look at all the clothes stuffed inside and see nothing. Well, OK, you see “something” but nothing that you want to wear. That’s my everyday.

I have all these clothes that used to be cute and exciting but now they are just sad sacks. Enter Lucky! The folks over at Gotham Books took pity on me (really, it was out of the goodness of their hearts to keep the general public from having to look at my sorry badonkadonk walking around in such rags) and sent me The Lucky Shopping Manual.

Wow. Talk about helpful. You wouldn’t think that a printed book (published in 2003) would still be current and usable as a resource but man would you be wrong. My skepticism did an about face as I started reading.

In a nutshell, this is why it’s invaluable: it cuts through the crap. Instead of advocating that you buy buy buy (as one might think a shopping manual would do), it shows you what you need in your wardrobe, how to wear it, and – most importantly – how to mix and match other pieces in your closet so that you have multiple outfits with only a few staples.

Like with skirts. I never wear skirts because I don’t quite know how to wear them…what footwear, stockings or no stockings, hemline shememline. It all confuses me. Yet I have a few skirts and I’d like to learn how to wear them, so this is what the manual taught me. Hemlines that flatter the leg: mid-knee. Mini skirts (yes, even I can still wear a mini) look best with tame tops (not tarty tops), stockings and flats (boots or shoes). By all means stay away from heels when you wear a mini. Check – I can do that. See, wasn’t that easy? And, it also goes through what skirts flatter what body types. For me, that’s a pencil skirt (the catch all skit that flatters most all figures).

If that wasn’t enough, the manual goes on to show you how you can wear one skirt multiple ways so that you have a work look, an evening look, a day look and even a weekend look with the same skirt. Then they spell out how many and what type of skirt a typical closet needs. That way, you’re not buying 10,000 skirts, just the few that will look great on your body and coordinate with your other clothes. Nice.

They do this for skirts, jeans, dresses, shoes…you get the idea. It’s like having a stylist come over to tell you what looks good on you, what doesn’t, what to keep in your closet and what to get rid of. And then she goes shopping with you! We could all use a little of that type of advice, right? Especially after having babies when your closet if filled with things that are out of style and out of shape. Wait, is that my closet or my body???

Wooden building blocks are a staple (or at least they should be) in any youngster’s toy chest. We love our blocks in this house and constantly make houses and beds for ALL of the stuffed animals. Now, with these house blocks I found on Etsy, our houses may actually look more like houses than, well, some approximation of a square with a triangle on top.

These blocks are handmade from poplar, sanded smooth and colored with certified AP nontoxic watercolor paints. The details aren’t painted on but rather wood-burned, and pieces were finished with a natural homemade beeswax wood polish. So, good for little hands.

Only, one word of warning: maybe not the best for drooling tiny babies who still love to place everything in his or her mouth…the maker advises that the paint “may” rub off with excessive “water” exposure.

This set contains:
- 3 buildings
- 3 roof pieces
- 1 large tree
- 1 small tree
- 1 shrub

And did you check out those trees? What a nice touch.

The house blocks set costs $20 which seems like a pretty good deal.

Guest post from fellow mom, Annemarie, who is currently the resident expert in what to do with those lovely varicose veins pregnancy can sometimes bring on.

There’s the weight gain. The bad skin. The morning sickness. The delicate emotional state.

Those of us who have been through it are familiar with the many inconveniences and indignities of pregnancy. Then there are the varicose veins and blot clots. Ugly, uncomfortable and sometimes painful, these blessings from mother nature sometimes continue after baby’s arrival.

So what to do when the new mother’s figure starts to return to normal and she’s ready for some normal, perhaps even fun, clothing? Well, thankfully the fashion gods are kind this season and leggings are in. Also, since I live in a cool summer climate, leggings are welcome for warmth. But what about that trip to LA, having a drink by the pool? What to do with those purple legs?

The good news is that there is an entire medical specialty focused on this very problem with plenty of treatment options (more about that later). But the best news for other new moms who suffer from the unsightly and sometimes painful varicose veins is that most insurers consider this a medical issue, not a cosmetic one.

Now, before you get excited about a little rhinoplasty to go with your vein procedure, you must check with your insurer and, of course, your doctor. But, the key to insurance reimbursement is to consult a vascular surgeon shortly after delivery, or maybe even during pregnancy, in order to make sure there are no dangerous blood clots and to establish a relationship with a specialist.

As for treatment there are a variety of options, depending on your situation. Examples include injections, laser treatment, radio frequency ablation, surgery and even herbal therapies. Something for every taste and budget, it would seem!

According to the vascular surgeon I met recently, treatment can begin when I start to feel “normal” again. Maybe six months or so postpartum. Sounds pretty simple, not too painful and definitely worth it to me. It’s not that I have anything against 90-year-old purple legs. Just not on a 30-something year old body!

As a great source for information on symptoms, treatment options and how to find a physician, check out the American College of Phlebology.

Now, about that post-baby ass….

photo credit: CarbonNYC

Do you adhere to the same boundaries that you set for your little one? I’m sure you don’t throw food, don’t hit your sister, and rarely talk back to your mother. Right? But I’m referring to things like talking with your mouth full, standing while eating, and interrupting people when they are talking.

My family is trying to tackle manners now, or rather, starting down the long road of proper etiquette. We’re starting small – simple things. Once those are mastered, then we’ll move on. Baby steps, or that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s time. Age two is about time to start learning how to remain seated while eating. Don’t you think?

This past weekend as I was cleaning the dishes after dinner, I took one last bite of mac and cheese out of the pot on the stove before I put the rest of the left overs away and cleaned the pot. Okay, two bites. I turned around and saw these two little eyes on me, watching me very carefully as I lifted the wooden spoon from the pot, put it in my mouth then BACK IN THE POT. I sorta sheepishly smiled, took that last bite, then kept cleaning up.

Then it hit me…I’d just finished telling my daughter that at dinner, we sit down while we eat and we eat off of a plate. That’s polite and that’s what we do.

Only my actions were telling her “not all the time.” And I realized – I’ve seen my mother do this same thing all the time. Face it mom, you do. You eat out of the pot after you’ve eaten dinner! It’s actually kinda cute because you eat like a bird and it makes me happy to see you shoving a wooden spoon in your face. But as I teach my daughters table manners (hell, any manners) I think I should model the behavior I want to see.

I mean, if we want to change our kids, we have to change ourselves, right? At least that is what I’ve heard.

Back to setting boundaries. As I think about boundary-setting I figure they have to jibe with what I’m willing to do (and what I can remember to do, too!) Here are the things that will have to change. I wish I didn’t do these things but I do :

1. Sit down while you eat (before and after dinner – including snacks. Just think, no more cheese and crackers scarfed down while preparing dinner either)
2. Eat off of a plate (this, I’m afraid, will be hard for me…see above reference to cheese and crackers)
3. Chew first, then speak
4. Take a breath in between bites (otherwise known as don’t shovel food in my mouth)
5. Listen, then speak (nooooo more interruptions)

I sound like a heathen! I’m not really. It’s just that when things get crazy around the house, I get rushed and my manners fly out the window. When I’m rushed, I get anxious. As a role model to two rapidly growing girls, I realize that I have to shape up.

So, here we go – boundary setting for Mom and Dad. Maybe our actions will speak louder than words. God, wouldn’t that be nice.

photo credit: makelessnoise

I’m so damn tired of my clothes I could just spit. I mean, after two babies, the clothes I had that were once cute are woefully out of fashion and the clothes I had while either pregnant or in between pregnancies don’t fit for myriad reasons. So that leaves just about nothing fun to wear.

I want professional help! Or at least an entire new wardrobe.

However, since that’s not exactly feasible right now, I’m left to do it on my own with what I’ve got and maybe a few new things.

In the San Francisco Chronicle I read a great article about how to deal with the clothes you do have to make fun, new outfits…and maybe shop a little along the way. They call it shopping your closet and basically you look at your current wardrobe and mix and match things that you’ve never paired before.

Take a suit, for instance. Instead of wearing the suit together, take the skirt and pair it with something really frilly or patterned…basically, a shirt that you’ve never put with the skirt before. Then, don’t put the jacket on, wear a sweater (like a boyfriend slouchy sweater) and belt. Maybe even try doubling (or tripling) up on your necklaces.

I know, I’m over-simplifying. Yet, I did this yesterday with a frilly shirt and jeans and wore cowboy boots. The shirt made me feel a little dressy, but the jeans and cowboy boots are totally casual, so I still felt like me. But updated. And I didn’t spend a fortune.

Of course, I was so excited to find new “looks” in my closet that I’m going to shop for some new accessories. At least that’ll be less expensive than a new wardrobe.

photo credit: Brymo

Ha! My husband and I continuously joke about how much our blood pressure must spike to incredibly high numbers throughout the day because of our screaming kids, but a recent study by Brigham Young University suggests otherwise. They found that parenting actually reduces blood pressure.

I still don’t really believe it. Apparently they asked people (parents and married couples with no kids) to wear blood pressure monitors 24 hours a day and then tested them randomly throughout the day.

In my experience, timing matters, so my question about the study is WHEN did they test the subjects. Because, if tested when kids are napping, then yeah, maybe a parent would be calm but when one (or more) kids are screaming in a fiery red tantrum, then I bet you dollars to donuts that same parent has a blood pressure reading that is through the roof!

So, if you’re a parent and find yourself thinking about your childless friends and their tequila tasting vacations to Mexico with envy, at least you can take comfort in the fact that you may have lower blood pressure than they do. Maybe.

photo credit: *clairity*

Between Christmas and New Years I’ll be slowing down the posting a bit to spend more time with family, not to mention birthing a baby somewhere along the way. Thanks so much for reading Modern Home Modern Baby – I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I enjoy writing it.

From my family to yours, very best wishes for the holiday season!

photo credit: James Jordan

Maclaren USA has recalled their strollers in order to repair what they call an amputation/laceration hazard. Apparently, on opening and closing, the hinge mechanism has cut off the fingertips of 12 kids in the United States.

All of their single and double models are recalled including Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller. It’s roughly about 1 million strollers sold over the last 10 years at every baby store you can think of, so if you have a Maclaren then stop using it and follow up with their customer service.

Here is their contact information: Maclaren USA toll-free at (877) 688-2326 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the Web site.

Of course, (and this is with sincere sympathy for all of those poor children who had their fingers either cut or amputated), why is a child’s hand in such close proximity to the folding hinge? It’s metal and made to fold in on itself which is, by definition, a hazard, right? Am I being too judgmental here or is it not just common sense to keep all hands and feet away from a folding stroller?

Singing is big in our house. All of a sudden I’m getting requests from my daughter to sing, sing out loud. Luckily it’s in the privacy in my own house because – let’s face it – I’m not a professional singer for a very good reason.

However, in the interest of singing parents everywhere – and really, your child doesn’t care if you can or cannot carry a tune, they love to listen to you sing anyway – I thought I’d share one of our favorite songs. You may have heard of it, but I bet this will not be the version you’re used to.

You know the song, Hush Little Baby Don’t Say A Word…Papa’s gonna buy you a mocking bird? Well, I love the tune and I love the way it starts but I just can’t handle the materialism it advocates. Yes, I know I’m over analyzing a children’s song, but I don’t want my daughter thinking that she’s entitled to a ring if her bird doesn’t sing. It’s just not my style.

So, I haven’t been singing that song…not that I’d remember the actual words anyway. But, I was given the book “Hush Little Baby” by Sylvia Long that has all new rhymes that go with the tune. It starts out like this:

Hush little baby don’t say a word, Mama’s gonna show you a humming bird.
If that humming bird should fly, Mama’s gonna show you the evening sky.

It goes on to show the mother exploring the immediate world around her and her baby. It’s such a fun book to read/sing. Give it a try. Here’s the Google Books online version and here it is at Amazon:

National Cookie Month? Yes – National Cookie Month! I don’t know who came up with the cockamamie idea, but now I have an even better excuse for eating and baking all these cookies – well, pregnancy is a pretty good excuse, too.

So whether they are chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, or sugar, go ahead and gobble up those cookies. You don’t even have to feel guilty about it until November.

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Our world has been turned upside down. We’re moving unexpectedly and, while I love where we’re headed, I don’t love the road to getting there. Everything is a mess and I can barely find my own head. Our daughter is loving it – she seems to relish the mess with boxes and paper everywhere.